WHAT IS GOTH?:

This book is now SOLD OUT and OUT OF PRINT

Hardcover: 96 pages

Publisher: Weiser Books (August 1, 2004)

What Is Goth? dispels the false stereotypes and reinforces the true ones surrounding Goths and Goth culture. "To the mundane," Voltaire writes, "Goths are weird, black-clad freaks who are obsessed with death; they are sad all of the time. Take a closer look at the Goth scene, however, and you will find a rich tapestry of ideas and practices and a menagerie of colorful characters. Oh, dear. I said ‘colorful.’"

This illustrated answer to What Is Goth? shows readers how to:

• Identify the anatomies of different kinds of Goths: CyberGoths, Rivet-Heads, Romantigoths, Goth-a-billies, and more

• Write a poem (Mad Libs style) with the Gothic Poem Generator

• Properly dance the dances of darkness: "Cobwebs in the Attic," "The Gothic Tai Chi Dance," "Pulling the Evil Taffy"

Yes, Goths are pale, wear black clothing, love black makeup (on men and women), mope, listen to real downer music, and perfect the art of living in a perpetual state of ennui and melancholy. But there’s so much more to being Goth. Goths come from all walks of life. Many are teenagers who live with their parents; others are doctors, lawyers, musicians, and so on. Most Goths are highly literate and creative, but all real Goths have to dress the part. In other words, "Abandon all hope ye who enter a Goth club in khakis!"

Eerily illustrated, What Is Goth? is the perfect book for any Goth, Goth wannabe, or "mundane" who is hopelessly confused by all the gloom.

What is Goth? cemented Voltaire's place as an authority on the Gothic subculture and lead to TV appearances on Fox News, MTV and others. You can see those videos on the TV page here on Voltaire.net ( http://www.voltaire.net/on_camera )

This book is out of print. Check Ebay or Amazon for used copies (though they have been known to sell for many times the original cover price).